Gowanus with Kids: Best 20 Things to Do in This Artsy Brooklyn Neighborhood
Submitted by Teri on
Sandwiched between the über-family-friendly enclaves of BoCoCa and Park Slope, Gowanus was a longtime industrial holdout thanks in large part to its infamously polluted namesake canal. But now that the neighborhood's got a Whole Foods, an artisanal ice cream parlor, a slew of small artsy businesses and the promise of a $500 million Superfund cleanup of its odoriferous waterway, Gowanus is undergoing a similar transformation as nearby Red Hook.
Construction sites are everywhere you look as mixed-use developments go up (yes, even along the 1.8-mile-long Gowanus Canal), and many of the old warehouses that are still standing now house art galleries, trendy bars and funky boutiques. Of course, while Gowanus is a haven for artists and entrepreneurs, family-centric attractions are still relatively limited, and there's only one park: the Thomas Greene Playground. But there are many cool, not-just-for-kids things to see and experience in this quickly changing Brooklyn nabe, which is bordered by Baltic Street to the north and the Gowanus Expressway to the south, Fourth Avenue to the east, and Smith and Hoyt Streets to the west. We kick off our series of posts about the area with our list of the top 20 things to do with kids in Gowanus, Brooklyn.
